Mischief in the Moonlight
by AmdlStar
Summary: By his 7th year at Hogwarts Remus Lupin stands convinced that he will never be able to reveal his true self. And by her 6th year Ixer Kaunnick is sure that she is doomed to live her life as a lie. Maybe their unlikely meeting can change both their futures
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** I do not own Harry Potter, nor any other character in his magical world.

**Author's Note**I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and realized that I needed to take this story down and fix it. So for those who have read it before, there are some changes and for those who have not, I hope you enjoy it is now accurate to the book world and it is up to date.

I hope you all enjoy! Please Read and Review!

Chapter 1

Tired. Tired, tired, tired. That was how he always felt. Each day would come and the sun would shine but still exhaustion gripped him. His nights held no peace for him, his days…no comfort. School became a monotonous routine that passed like shades of gray around him, with no light or colors that could penetrate the void that pounded in his chest.

He had no one to confide in…no one he could be with.

Remus Lupin had three friends, almost five if you counted the growing acquaintances that were the girlfriends of his two friends James and Sirius: Lily Evans and Ashley Ames. His little gang was the best anyone could ask for in friends, but despite their loyalty in the face of what he was, they could not help him.

He was a werewolf; had been since he could remember. And thankfully the student body of Hogwarts did not know this, save for his friends. Generally, Remus was a loner. He kept to himself in class and usually sat by himself in the Gryffindor common room. Occasionally James, Sirius, or his more robust friend, Peter, would join him and they would trade a few remarks, but as a whole…he was very much alone.

Lily was kind with him, and often comforted him when he would stare longingly at Ashley and Sirius as they flirted sportingly with each other, but her presence only made his pain deeper. He would probably never have what she and James had…what Sirius and Ashley had.

After all, who could possibly love such a beast? Every time he transformed he became a rampaging killer. And anyone with half a mind knew this. James, Sirius and Peter had all taken great strides in their magical abilities to become animagi. As animals, they would accompany him when he changed and at least, Lupin thought, they helped him keep some of his sanity. But still, there were times when even they could not restrain him. There had been a couple of close calls; times when they had strayed too close to the school or too close to the wizard town of Hogsmeade. And even though he laughed about it afterwards and joked with Sirius about the near miss, it always shook him to the core.

He hadn't been much more than five or six years old when he'd received the bite. He'd been with his parents on a camping trip; they were both deeply involved with the ministry and were very concerned with the proper treatment of muggles. Unfortunately, this made them quite a few enemies among some of the more powerful families…that is, some of the pure blood families. More than once his parents had been called blood traitors, being of pure wizard decent themselves. But both his mother and father shrugged it off as petty predjeduce.

But then one day, Remus had been sitting outside a room in the ministry waiting for his father to emerge from a meeting; he stared at the fountain in the middle of the vast entry room that portrayed a witch and wizard amongst several magical creatures. He had always liked this fountain, however inaccurate it may be. It made him smile. His father had come bursting out of the room very suddenly, his face red with anger. When asked what was wrong, he merely said, "Just some trouble with this low-life Greyback. No manners at all, and no regard for the proper treatment of muggles."

Remus didn't ask any more questions. He and his parents decided it would do them good to get away for a while, so the camping trip was planned. It was something his mother and father enjoyed doing, saying that it helped them understand how to live like a muggle…cooking over the fire and such.

Remus would never forget that night. This shaggy, haggard of a man had come staggering out from behind the trees, his breath rasping in his throat. At first Remus didn't know what was happening. His father approached the man, asking if he needed help. Then he remembered his mother shrieking.

That night Remus saw the moon free of fear for the last time in his life and he remembered running, his mother pulling him by the arm as she ran and he struggled to keep up. He was scared, he didn't understand what was so wrong. Was the man bad?

Pulling their boy up beside them, they had tried to climb a tree to get away from the howling monster that had magically appeared. But his small hands slipped from his mothers and he had fallen into the waiting fangs of the creature. Its claws tore at his face, neck and arms, while its knife-like teeth clamped firmly on his leg and dragged him away from the mortified shrieks of his parents.

The next morning they had found him sprawled at the base of a hill, coated in blood and his clothing torn. His parents were certain that he was dead, but through some miracle or perhaps it had been a curse, he had survived. He survived with the makings of a monster just as vicious residing deep within him.

Unlike many parents, they did not abandon him. Both took great care in finding ways for their only child to be as normal as possible. One of which was getting him into Hogwarts. They had had to write to Professor Dumbledore himself to get the governors to allow it. And even then special arrangements had to be made for him, arrangements that had made him miserable as he desperately tried to keep everything a secret.

It had been difficult adapting to life at Hogwarts, with school during the day and many of his nights consumed by madness, he often didn't have time to rest, or time to do his homework for that matter. And the others had asked many questions.

"Where were you last night?" or "You don't look so good, are you catching something?"

Remus found it easier and easier to lie as time when by, but sometimes he wished that they all just knew and that he didn't have to concoct stories to explain why he hadn't returned to the dormitory the night before or why he looked ready to pass out where he stood.

But they didn't, none except James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans knew. Sirius had wanted to tell Ashley, but the Lily had suggested they wait until the time was right. It wasn't something one casually brought up over tea.

So Remus just had to suffer in silence much of the time. So many nights, like tonight, he resigned himself to sitting in front of the massive fire that burned in the Gryffindor common room. Watching the flames dance and swirl, each one so perfect and beautiful in it's simplicity, the heat gracefully caressing his skin, the light reflecting in his crystalline eyes.

He hadn't even fully comprehended what he was until he was a little older, not understanding why his parents locked him away at night once a month. When he finally did, he was angry; angry at his parents for not protecting him, angry at the werewolf that had bitten him. But as time went on, he started to feel sorry for the one who had bitten him…he even felt pity for him, thinking that he had had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform.

Right before he started at Hogwarts though, his parents had finally told him that it had been a man, if you could even call him that, named Fenrir Greyback who had bitten him. He was the most savage werewolf alive today. And so they told him, he regarded it as his mission in life to bite and to contaminate as many people as possible. Greyback specializes in children…Bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards. At the full moon, he positions himself close to victims, ensuring that he is near enough to strike. He plans it all.

His father had been liberal in his distaste for the creature when they had met at the ministry hearing those several years ago…and had deeply offended Greyback…and no one offended Greyback and got away with it…

Behind him he heard laughter and knew that the Gavin Isaacs had just done another one of his quaint muggle card tricks. One girl, Laurie Osbourne, was particularly smitten with him and always prompted him to show off to her gang of friends.

A gentle crash to his left let him know that Timothy and his brother Donald were playing chess (Donald always won).

But then a new sound floated by his ears. Remus looked around for its source. It was scribbling. Not that of quill on parchment, but of pen on paper. That was something one never saw in the wizarding world.

Off in the far corner, a girl lay on the ground with her elbows propped up on a couple of pillows and a muggle notebook lay out in front of her. Her dark hair was streaked with wisps of purple and her eyes, though hidden by her long locks, were intently focused on the paper in front of her.

He marveled at her hands for a moment. Her fingers were long and delicate, with a simple grace to them that reminded him of an artist. They held her pen and seemed to dance across the paper before her like a ballerina across a stage: light, yet strong and with a purpose. She wore a simple pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt that hugged her gentle curves and her lips were held in a frown of concentration.

As though she sensed him watching her she stopped writing and suddenly looked up to meet his thoughtful gaze with her own. Startled, Remus returned his gaze to the fire. But he would not soon forget those eyes that had briefly penetrated the shadows to look back at him. They had been the most unique eyes, and as time caught up with him, he realized just how unique.

Carefully, Remus turned to look at her again. She still watched him, those eyes seeming to look through him rather than at him. He blushed and almost turned away, but couldn't and after a few moments the mysterious girl only smiled then returned to her notebook. He found himself almost gasping for breath. Those eyes…he had never seen eyes like those before.

Just then, there was a tap at his shoulder. It was James.

"Hey, you know, no matter how long you stare at the fire, it really won't change. I promise." He said jokingly as he sat down beside him on one of the intricate rugs that adorned the floor.

Remus only continued to stare as he tried to will his heart to beat properly again.

His friend frowned. "You ok? Its still another couple of weeks until the full moon."

Remus nodded. "Yeah…yeah I'm fine."

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, so to speak."

Taking a moment to think about what James had just said, Remus gave him a confused look.

"What?" James exclaimed. "It's a muggle phrase. Lily's been wearing off on me."

Remus smiled. "No I haven't 'seen a ghost'." He thought for a minute. "I'm not sure what I just saw."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any of the incredibly attractive characters in his world. I do however have the rights to say that my muse and I have created Ixer Kaunnick as well as many of her friends.

**Author's Note**For those who have read this before, thanks for sticking with me. I've been trying to make some necessary changes so that it fits in with the new info taken from HBP, so bear with me : )

Chapter 2

The girl at whom Remus had found himself transfixed continued to scratch away with her pen in her notebook. Occasionally she would cross out long sentences and add in notes in the margins, or scribble a small diagram or picture…she loved to decorate her writing.

Ixer Kaunnick hated the quills and ink that they were forced to use for lessons. They were terrible, always leaving inkblots all over her parchment and never ceasing to be worst on all her vital assignments. Having never been great at vanishing the spots, she found it incredibly frustrating when her carefully completed homework would burst into flames or would melt before her eyes. So for her personal accounts, her journal or her notebook where she would scribble her random thoughts and every now and then a short story, she used normal pen and paper; something that puzzled those around her to no end. Her father had introduced it to her when she was a young girl and she found that she rather liked it.

Her father was a muggle born wizard and therefore had many strange solutions to problems. Ixer still remembered when she had broken her wrist as a child and the first reaction of her father had been to wrap her wrist in a brace and gauze. Her mother had had to restrain herself from laughing since she didn't think it would be wise to damage her husband's ego. After assuring her daughter that everything would be all right she quickly and painlessly mended the broken bones and sent her off to play. That was one of the times when Ixer was glad that her mother had been brought up in a wizarding family.

Although her dear ol' dad had attended Hogwarts he still tended to fall back on his muggle upbringing. Her parents were very bright having both been in Ravenclaw, and currently her younger brother was a Ravenclaw 2nd year. Her parents had been shocked when she ended up in Gryffindor. But then again, she was always seemed to stick out.

After adding a few more lines she gathered her belongings into her bag and sat up to rub her aching elbows. She glanced again at the lanky 7th year that had been staring at her before. She didn't like to write in the common room, preferring to spend her free time either in the library or behind the curtains of her four poster in her dormitory, so he had probably never laid eyes on her.

_Well,_ she thought, _with that expression on his face I would probably think that it was pretty obvious he had never seen me before._ She stretched and slung her bag over her shoulder as she made her way through the crowded common room towards the stairs for the girl's dormitory, hoping that the other 6th year girls had finished their exciting debriefing about Alice's encounter over the summer.

Upon opening the door where she and five others spent ten months out of every year, she found that they had not.

"So he actually touched you!" Asked Marie for what was probably the umpteenth time. "Paul Sperrazza actually touched you!"

"And when he heard that it was my birthday, he actually sang happy birthday to me!" squealed the curly-haired Alice Bovaird. She, tall and limber Marie and Ario (Ixer's best friend) all collapsed onto their beds with sighs.

Ixer laughed. "You all aren't still going on about that singer are you?" she asked as she set her bag down next to her trunk. "You practically stalked that man last year when you visited your aunt."

Alice giggled. "Hey, it's not my fault if the guy is incredible and he happens to live two houses down from my aunt and uncle."

"Oh come on, Ixer. You're just upset that you couldn't concentrate with us screaming, so you had to go down and join the rest of student population." Ario commented as she pulled her long blond hair up into a ponytail.

"Yeah, and get stared at by them."

"Who was staring at you?" Marie asked, pulling on her nightgown.

Ixer shrugged. "I don't know who he was. You'd think he'd never seen a girl before the way he stared at me. He looked a little peaky to me. That skinny one that hangs out with Potter and Black. I think he was a prefect a couple years ago."

"That would be Remus Lupin." Laurie said as she entered the dormitory, clutching something to her chest. "Gavin talks about that lot all the time. Looks up to them on the Quidditch field…well, looks up to Potter anyways."

"Yeah well, fine. Lupin was staring at me as though I was the first girl he'd laid eyes on in his entire life."

Ario gave her a kind of sheepish look. "You have to admit love, you don't exactly look…well, normal. The purple hair is one thing, but…"

Ixer glared at her best friend. "My eyes right?" She blinked furiously.

All the other girls nodded.

"So what if they're different!"

Ario laughed gently at this. "Honey, we're not attacking you on this we're just making a point. I'm afraid that whether it was or wasn't your fault you have _purple_ eyes. And for someone who hasn't seen you before it's going to be a bit of a shock."

Ixer pulled out a brush and began to furiously tug at her hair. "Just because my brother had the moronic idea to try to sneak polyjuice potion into my cereal as a child, doesn't make me that abnormal."

"No one is saying that it did." Marie said. "Merely that purple eyes are not the norm. And besides, that Lupin isn't exactly normal himself. Of course, if I hung out with Potter or Black I suppose I wouldn't be nearly as innocent and common as I am now."

This comment sent all five girls into fits of giggles. "The day you are innocent and common is the day that I propose to the headmaster." Laurie gasped through fits of laughter, still clutching something tightly in her hand.

After she regained her senses, Ixer realized just what it was she was holding. "Well I suppose that Marie will never be innocent considering the fact that Laurie here fancies Gavin."

"Oh really?" she said, rounding on the shorter girl. "What makes you think that?"

Ixer pointed to her hand. "Because you still have that card he gave you while he was doing that silly little trick downstairs."

This caused a whole new fit of giggles and prompted the other girls to then ask Laurie to regale them with her feelings towards the 5th year boy.

But Ixer merely closed the curtains around her and lay back in her bed. She had her friends; there was no question about that. The other girls in her dormitory had been very accepting of her as she was. Well, that is, they had been very accepting of her story. But what else could she say? If they knew she'd be thought of as a freak and they'd probably be afraid of her, much like the rest of Hogwarts would be if they found out.

She rolled over onto her side. _Hell_, _I scare myself sometimes,_ she thought as she pulled out her wand. "Lumos." Her tip of her wand illuminated the small cubicle of her bed and though she had no mirror, Ixer knew that the harsh light revealed many tired wrinkles on her young skin; many old scars.

Reaching under her pillow she pulled out a book she'd been reading for the last several nights. Her parents had given it to her on her birthday, hoping that she would find the information it held useful. So far, about all she could say it was good for was putting her to sleep. The book, titled 'Living by the Night', had so many pathetic victims quoted within its pages claiming they had "pulled their lives together" and that they "had found salvation despite their terrible circumstances."

Ixer rolled her eyes as she flipped open to her spot. If her parents thought that reading about a bunch of self-pitying, fame claiming troglodytes would bring her comfort they were wrong. She would have liked to think that she was past that stage. Yeah things were tough for her, school especially considering the homework that got laid on her every night. But she was dealing with it. So what if all her friends were enjoying a nice giggle over some guys? So what if she could never really do that?

She slammed the book shut as anger flared within her. Why had her brother been the lucky one? Why had he been spared and she had not? Why was she doomed to fear the moonlight?

Shoving the book under her bed, determined to not read another paragraph, Ixer pulled her covers up over herself; not caring if she was still fully clothed and closed her eyes, hoping that she had not managed to upset herself to a point where she wouldn't be able to enjoy what time she had left to rest.

The full moon was in two weeks


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**I do not own anything that was originally written by J.K. Rowling.

**Author's Note**: And now I am onward to Chapter 3! I hope that everyone is enjoying this so far! I give my eternal thanks to MuyKiay who has been my person to bounce ideas off of and who fixes my inevitable mistakes.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Remus rose bright and early. The crisp Sunday morning sunlight streamed through the windows of his dormitory, revealing the still sleeping forms of James, Sirius, Peter and their fellow 7th year Joseph Crazter. Dressing quickly, he quietly made his way down the smooth stone stairs and into the still deserted common room. The fire had burned low during the night, the coals in the hearth giving off only a faint glow to contest with the light shining through the tower windows. Without missing a beat he climbed carefully out through the portrait hole that was the secret way into Gryffindor tower, waking up the portrait's occupant in the process.

"My, you're up at the crack of dawn today aren't you?" the Fat Lady said sleepily. "That's not like you at all."

"Life's full of surprises." He replied half-heartedly, still trudging along in the general direction of the Great Hall. His thoughts began to drift towards his homework that he had yet to tackle. He still hadn't completed his essay for Care of Magical Creatures, nor had he practiced for Charms. For nearly a week now he had been unable to master the charm that allowed one to manipulate the air around them to form sound, to vibrate the air so to speak. Indeed those that became masters of this charm could even create music if they had the mental discipline. But he had only barely managed to create what, unfortunately, had sounded like a dying cricket. Professor Flitwick had told him to practice over the weekend and had made it quite clear that if Remus did not show a proper understanding of the spell within the next couple of weeks then he would have little choice but to fail him for the period. And this would undoubtedly come back to haunt him later when he would be taking his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests); Flitwick had hinted that it would be included in the charms portion of the exams.

Upon entering the Great Hall, which, despite five or six students was just as deserted as the Gryffindor common room, Remus spotted none other than Severus Snape. Like himself, Severus was also finishing up his last year at Hogwarts. However, Severus was a Slytherin, the sworn enemy of Gryffindor, and therefore not very high on his Christmas list. Sirius and James had taunted Snape mercilessly during their 5th and 6th years, and the slimy git never missed a chance to get them back. Just before summer holidays their prior year Sirius had played a trick on Severus, knowing that Snape would love to get one of them in trouble, something which had almost cost the moron his life.

Sirius had told him how to enter the secret passageway under the Whomping Willow, and therefore how to find the already transformed Marauder. Severus knew that something was strange about Remus and upon hearing about how he would 'sneak' out of the castle; the Slytherin couldn't wait to catch the young werewolf, not knowing the extent of the danger he would be in. Had James not pulled Severus back things could have become extremely nasty. Dumbledore had warned Severus not to jeopardize the young man's chance at normal schooling and had punished Sirius severely for his gamble. And so now, with their final year almost half way over, the Marauders had taken to ignoring Snape and vice versa (that is unless one was directly provoked by the other); things were simpler that way. So far, Snape had kept his promise to Dumbledore and had not told anyone about what he had seen that night, and Remus was eager to give him no reason or encouragement to do otherwise.

Severus was sitting alone at the Slytherin's table, a book propped open in front of him and a look of deep concentration on his face. Remus could see that he was rapidly muttering to himself. _Must be reciting potion ingredients again,_ he thought. Honestly, the guy could remember even the most complicated mixtures yet he couldn't seem to figure out how to have a real life. How like a Slytherin.

"All right there, Lupin?" came a voice from behind him. Turning sharply, Remus found himself staring into the beautiful hazel eyes of Ashley Ames. She grinned up at him as she flicked aside her long blond bangs. "It's going to be a great day, don't you think?"

Confusion knitted his eyebrows together, "Why is today going to be a great day?"

"Hogsmeade visit today." She said, sounding surprised that this hadn't been obvious to him. "Sirius and I were going to go to that lovely little café, Madam Puddifoot's, and then meet up with you guys at Zonko's. Don't you remember?"

He groaned. Now that she mentioned it he did remember, they had made these plans nearly three weeks beforehand. When was he going to get his homework done? "Right, that's right. I remember." He fought a smile as he pictured his very robust and stubborn friend being dragged into a very…_romance oriented_ teashop. "I'll make sure to remind James and Sirius when they come down."

"Great! I'll see you later then," she answered as she maneuvered around him and made her way towards a group of Gryffindor girls that had just entered. All of them seemed to be busily discussing their plans for the day.

He was about to sit himself down when he noticed one of the girls that Ashley was talking to. It was _her_. There was no mistaking that hair, or those eyes…. He gave himself a mental slap. _Stop it,_ he thought. _You can't let this happen, she's just a GIRL for Merlin's sake. _Almost defiantly he sat down and grabbed an orange, tearing furiously at the peal. _She's just a girl…_

"Moony, my man, what'd the orange do to you?"

Remus stopped his vicious fruit murder to look up at the cocky grin of his friend Sirius. "I'm going to fail the _ventus_ charm, and I am never going to get my essay done."

"Whoa, calm down. You're not going to fail. Didn't Flitwick tell you to work on it this weekend?"

"Yes."

"Well, any progress?"

"I haven't had a chance to yet." Remus said, getting frustrated.

"Well, why not?" Sirius pressed.

"Because I was helping you and James practice Quidditch yesterday and today is a Hogsmeade day."

Sirius paled. "That's _today_!"

Remus almost laughed at his friend's apparent panic. "Yes that's today. Your girlfriend was just over here reminding me of such."

"Crud…she wants to take me into that lovey-dovey little teashop doesn't she?"

Remus nodded.

Sirius sat down next to his friend. "Why do women love those sort of places? I mean, I'm all for a little bit of romance every now and then…but not in _public_."

Now Remus did laugh. "I think it's because it is public that they like it. They want to know that you don't mind showing how much you care about them to other people. It's a test of courage sort of thing."

Sirius stared at him.

"What?" Remus exclaimed.

"That is bloody brilliant. Can they really get all that information from a simple outing?"

"Apparently. Lily does it to James all the time, haven't you noticed?"

Sirius frowned. "No…"

"You might want to watch a bit more closely now that you are among the dating crowd." Remus advised as he licked his sticky fingers. "I only notice because I've a wonderful outside view of that crowd."

Sirius's smile left him to be replaced by a concerned frown. "I thought that you'd squared with those feelings. If James or I make you uncomfortable by having Lily and Ashley around all you have to do is say something."

Remus shook his head. "Nah, you both are happy. And those two are wonderful girls. Ashley's a bit talkative sometimes and Lily cares too much, but those aren't bad qualities, just things to get used to." He looked down at his mangled orange. "I'm fine, really."

"Alright, well…I guess I had better go do my boyfriend duty and sit with the woman, I'll see you in Zonko's later, right?"

Remus nodded as Sirius grabbed an apple and made his way over to Ashley. He watched as Sirius swept her into a broad hug from behind and as she giggled and exchanged looks with her friends. They were all so happy…

But _her_…she stood off to the side. She watched the couple with a dreamy look that was both criticizing and pensive. Like she was both angry and happy for them. She glanced at him as though sensing his gaze and he was met with an icy stare that startled him so much that he dropped the remnants of his breakfast in his lap.

She turned sharply and walked towards the opposite end of the table, as though desperate to sit far, far away from him, and upon taking her seat she too began to haphazardly shovel random bits of food onto her plate.

_What was that about?_ He wondered, ignoring the sticky mess seeping into his robes. _Such an enigma…such a beautiful and exotic enigma…_

The massive flock of owls that swooped low over the tables to deliver the morning post interrupted his thoughts with hoots, screeches and a flurry of feathers. He rarely got anything, the exception being around Christmas or his birthday, his parents weren't much in the way of letter writers. Also, he had stopped taking the daily prophet at James's request a few months prior. The last time he had received a paper the headlines had revealed that the Ministry was going to try to pass a bit of legislation against Werewolves, something that required them to register their names with the Ministry and allow themselves to be locked up if they proved 'dangerous to society'. Needless to say this had made Remus quite upset, eventually resulting in him setting his paper ablaze and nearly blasting the other Marauders from their seats in his misdirected rage and spell casting. They thought it would be better in the future that they screen the news for him, if only to avoid any kind of loss of limb.

He looked up as the birds continued to circle in search for their owners, many of whom were probably still asleep. The enchanted ceiling showed a crystal blue sky with only the faintest hints of clouds. It would be a great day for Hogsmeade…even though he would be faced with an unparalleled amount of homework upon his return.

Remus grabbed a napkin and cleaned up the sticky remnants of the orange he had mangled. He'd sort out his homework situation later; first things first, and right now he had a day of sun and fresh air ahead of him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Marauders, nor do I own any of the other wonderful things in J.K.'s fantastic world. I do however own Ixer and most of her friends. And I do have a quote in here taken from 'A Knights Tale' (it was too perfect)

**Author's Note**: My, oh my, aren't things getting interesting? Yeah, I thought so too. Anyways, obviously this is going to be picking up some more momentum soon…so you might want to stick around. Thanks for your support! Leave a review if you can, I'm open to any thoughts and suggestions on how to improve my work.

Chapter 4

The sharp, cool, January air whipped strongly through the crowded streets of Hogsmeade; bright shafts of sunlight shone down upon the many villagers and shoppers that were taking advantage of the good weather. Ixer pulled her cloak tighter around her to block out the chill of the wind, all the while keeping her eyes focused on her own feet as she weaved amongst the other students and townspeople to avoid the otherwise inevitable awkward stares that she so often received.

"Zonko's just got in a new shipment of biting mittens!" shouted a Hufflepuff.

"I won't go near those things, not since my older sister gave me a pair for my birthday," replied a Ravenclaw.

Ixer fought back a grim smile as she passed by the two. She had also had an unfortunate encounter with a particularly nasty, bright red, pair when she was about six years old. Her cousins had snorted into their food as she rubbed her sore wrists all through Christmas dinner. Although they hadn't found it nearly as funny the next morning when she replaced some of their candy suckers with acid pops.

The petite girl darted carefully through the crowd, wanting only to find somewhere quiet to wait out the time until she was to meet the other girls at the Three Broomsticks. Maria, Alice, Laurie and Ario had all insisted that they needed new robes and that "_-a flower is only as good as it's petals." _Quite frankly, Ixer found the whole thing silly, and had refused to set foot inside the shop with the others. Let them spend their gold. Last time the girls had been this way, they'd spent every coin they had and had then had to borrow ink and parchment from everyone towards the end of the term. She sped up her pace, her eyes watering from the sting of the wind.

_You wish you could do that though, don't you,_ her subconscious nagged. _You wish that you could be silly, that you could spend impulsively on things you don't really need. You wish that you could be normal._

"No I don't." she muttered under her breath. "No I really don't. I'd like to think that I won't ever have to mooch off my class mates."

Ixer felt her face grow hot, _now I'm talking to myself. Wonderful. I'm sure this will help me convince my parents that I'm 'emotionally stable' and that I'm not going to break down like some basket case. _She kicked at a pinecone and watched as it bounced and landed next to a quaint little bookshop. Slowing down she glanced through the broad glass windows that looked out onto the street. Ixer saw many handsome leather books adorned with titles like: _Dragonology__ – The complete book of Dragons, Interpreting the Stars, Even More Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, _and_ Muggles – Not just a Way of Life. _Many witches and wizards waved up at her from the covers of their books, and on one a phoenix burst into flames and was reborn right before her eyes, only to mature and do it all over again.

"Might I interest you in this book here my dear?"

Ixer jumped at the voice, and found that it belonged to who was probably the owner of the shop. The woman was definitely elderly, but her dark green eyes held a sparkle that spoke of a young heart, she stood in the doorway to the shop with a book clutched in her pale hands.

"What book is that, Ma'am?" Ixer asked as she attempted to recover from the sudden flood of adrenaline.

"Why a book of the soul, child. This book here can show you wisdom. This book here can show you happiness. But if you've not the proper frame of mind it can also hold mystery, even anger."

"I'm not sure if a book could do all that for me." She said as she turned to continue on her way.

"Why not just take a look and see." Said the old woman, thrusting the book at her. "Just take a peak."

Sighing, Ixer took the book and looked at its cover. Bound in a soft, deep blue cloth, it felt so delicate…so fragile. She flipped it open and saw that each page held gorgeous paintings, or intricate sketches. Every now and then a few words were scrawled, forming thoughtful phrases or life lessons. The style was not that unlike her own notebook.

"Its very beautiful. But I still don't think it could show me all that."

The woman smiled as though she knew something Ixer did not. Taking a few steps closer to the teenager, she reached for the book and flipped it to the very back and held it up to show her. She was met by her own reflection, for in the back of the book was a mirror. Her own confusion and sudden understanding was staring back at her in her moment of wisdom. _My hair is a mess,_ she thought.

And from such a simple thought she found herself laughing. The shop owner smiled widely, as though she understood. Ixer handed the book back to the woman and dug into her robes, still fighting an occasional giggle.

"How much for this book?"

Ixer made her way out towards the edges of town, a bit happier despite herself, and found a large rock resting in the middle of a clear field. Off in the distance she could see the Shrieking Shack looming ominously over its derelict fields. Sitting down she opened her purchase in her lap. It really was quite beautiful. After a while her thoughts began to wander and she occasionally found herself squinting out at the rickety, and supposedly haunted old house.

Rumors said that though it had only been built a few years ago, very violent spirits had quickly moved in and had then driven out the wizarding family that had once lived there. It was said that sometimes, in the village, when the night shrouds the town in its mystery, you can hear the howls and shrieks of the tormented souls that resided there.

Ixer felt a chill go down her spine. _What must it feel like to be in agony even in death? To know that your suffering and pain will be your only companion for eternity…. No wonder they're so violent. Hell, I'd haunt the place. It'd give me something to do with my endless days._

Students often dared each other, to see who would go the closest to the Shack. Some swore they got so close they could actually hear the rattling of chains and the moans of the lonely ghosts. Sometimes the 7th years would try to convince one another to sneak out of the castle and come down to the Shack at night, although as of yet no one had been that stupid.

She brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen in her face; she closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sun, the warm rays making her see red through her eyelids. These few moments of peace that she had were too few nowadays. As she got older and her relationships with her friends became more involved she found it harder and harder to get away. Especially at night…

She'd had to invent many a story, and she knew that her conscience would eventually catch up to her; until it did she saw no other way to live. This was the path of least resistance. Sure it cost her a bit of herself every time she had to lie, but the others were happily oblivious to what she was. They didn't know what she was in both respects. They didn't know what kind of monster she became every month, nor did they know the selfish liar that she was. Ixer felt it was worth the trade, her happiness for that of her friends.

There were days though…days when she thought about telling them all everything. She'd mulled over thousands of scenarios, each one more disastrous than the last and each one presenting her with the fact that no matter which path she chose she would more than likely lose some of her friends. Either by their fear of what she was or by them finding out that she was indeed a liar. There had been a few times when it had been particularly torturous to her.

Ario was trying to get some Ravenclaw guy to pay Ixer some attention at one point last year. In the process the girl had listed Ixer's good qualities: smart, beautiful, witty, and _honest_. Ario and several others were always praising Ixer on her honesty, on her unwavering loyalty.

And in once sense, Ixer thought it was true. Whether she was lying or not she was always there for her friends. Always. No matter what the situation. When Alice had been heartbroken over a guy Ixer had been there with her arms around her friend, letting the girl cry and listening to what happened. When Marie had desperately needed some robes for a formal ball held by one of her father's friends, Ixer had been there for her, not only helping her shop for some of the stuff she'd need, but helping her make a truly unique gown that no one else had ever seen rivaled in beauty. When Alice's dear friend Donald had been questioning his decision to become involved with a younger girl despite the fact that there were several of his own age that would die for the chance to be with him, Ixer had been there telling him that the whole world could be unhappy with his decision and it still wouldn't matter as long as it was something that brought _him_ joy. If this girl lit up his world and made him laugh then that was all that mattered.

So even if there were lies, she was loyal. And she did care enough to try to help them with their problems as all friends would. There was just no way they could help her with her own, so why burden them with it?

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at her watch. She still had a little bit of time; returning her gaze to her book she figured…_I can read a bit more before its time to meet the others._


End file.
